Their Magic Touch
by maliataylorr
Summary: Emma knows things are going to change in Storybrooke, and she doesn't feel confident about it. She has the help of her friends and family, but she needs more: she needs Regina. Soon, Emma realizes she needs Regina much more than she thought. SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The curse was broken, magic was back, and Emma needed Regina. Regardless of what everyone had said, Emma had her own opinions of the woman. Yes, she was the Evil Queen, but Regina knew her way around everything that was going to unfold now that the curse had been broken, and Emma wanted that knowledge. And besides, Emma only knew Regina Mills, not the Evil Queen.

She hopped out of bed and threw her curled blonde hair into a high pony tail, trying to keep her unruly morning hair in check. She threw on a white tank top and some jeans and wandered into the kitchen where she saw Mary Margaret and David making breakfast. She sighed, knowing they were trying really hard to make this place feel like the home she never had. Emma wished she could make them believe she saw them as her parents, but for Christ's sake she was twenty-eight. She had spent her entire life so far without them, making it hard to get into the mom and dad routine.

She pulled out a barstool and sat down, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning guys," she said, her voice a bit scratchy. Mary Margaret turned around quickly, her face plastered with a smile as she handed Emma a plate piled high with sausage, fruit, and pancakes. Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes at the chocolate chips creating a smiley face on her top pancake. "Mary Margaret, that really isn't necessary," Emma said, laughing as Mary Margaret's face dropped into confusion. "Well Emma I just thought you would want breakfast before you left for the day I know there's a lot going on around you and it's hard to get used to and..." Emma stopped listening as Mary Margaret rambled on. Maybe being an unruly daughter wouldn't be so hard to do. Emma chuckled at the thought of her mom trying to ground her for not listening. "What's so funny, Emma?" David asked as he turned around with a second, but smaller plate and set it down next to Emma. The top pancake bore the same chocolate chip face. "Oh nothing. I just got lost in my thoughts," Emma lied, not wanting to get their hopes up about the whole parent thing. Emma dug into her breakfast, knowing that refusing it would be harder than just accepting the pancakes made for a toddler.

Not long after Emma had started eating, Henry walked into the kitchen and sat next to her. "Hey Mom," he said in the same scratchy voice Emma bore earlier. Emma reached over and tangled his morning hair into even more of a mess. "Hey bud, how'd you sleep?" Henry had already shoved his mouth full of pancakes and turned towards Emma to answer. "Don't you dare open that mouth, bud. I'll be covered in pancake," Emma laughed as she put her hand up to Henry's mouth, feeling his smile form against her palm. "Hey I'm gonna go see your mom today kiddo, alright?" Emma kept her hand over Henry's mouth as he nodded. "You spend the day with Mary Margaret and David," Emma said as the two turned around from the stove, both of their faces shining bright. Mary Margaret already started making plans as Emma walked to put some boots on.

Emma's yellow bug rolled up in front of Regina's mansion. She took a deep breath before getting out, knowing that asking this woman for help would be anything but simple. She smoothed out her white tank top and threw on her red jacket as she walked up the pathway to the front door. She took a second deep breath and knocked on the door.

* * *

Regina had woken up early that morning, and without Henry in her home she really didn't have much to do. She had stayed up late going through papers and was exhausted when she woke, but she had had trouble sleeping since the curse broke. Regina didn't know how long they had in Storybrooke, so doing things to govern the town didn't seem to make much sense. This morning she decided to go through her wardrobe. It offered a distraction, and she always loved looking at her clothes.

Regina showered and put on light makeup, just to put together an appearance as she went through endless blazers and pencil skirts, putting her favorites back in the closet and throwing the others onto her bed. She wondered if she could pack up some of her favorite outfits and bring them back to the Enchanted Forest. She laughed, thinking of herself parading around the castle in a pencil skirt. Once she had gone through her business attire, Regina retreated to the back of her closet to the date night clothes that hadn't seen the light of day since she rid herself of Graham. She ran her hand along the beautiful dresses as a sense of nostalgia overcame her, causing her eyes to water. It had been some time since anyone cared enough to take her out to dinner. Everyone just resented her, even before they remembered that she was the Evil Queen.

Regina pulled the hanging dresses apart, revealing her favorite one. It was short and black: simple. The neck scooped down, low. Regina never thought it to be appropriate for a mayor, so she saved it for one day when she hoped to go on a date. The tag was still on it. She took it off of the hanger and slipped it over her body. She couldn't reach far back enough to zip the entire thing up, leaving the dress to hang slightly off of her shoulder as she put on her black pumps. Her hair was a bit frazzled from changing so much, and right as she went to fix it, there was a knock on the door. Regina's stomach dropped.

A few seconds passed and Emma could hear heels clacking against the tile as Regina made her way to the front door. The door swung open to reveal the dark-haired woman in a disheveled little black dress. Emma's eyes widened as she took in the entirety of the woman before her. Regina's calves were chiseled perfectly, her black pumps adding more detail to her leg muscles. The black dress started two inches above the knee, hugging her perfectly curved hips and flat stomach. The neckline of the dress dipped low, revealing quite a bit of cleavage. It didn't take long for Emma's eyes to rake up the brunette's entire body, straight up to the loose top of the dress, and the exposed, black bra strap on the woman's shoulder. Emma took a deep breath as she felt her face become warmer. Finally she collected herself and looked into the set of dark brown eyes in front of her.

"Uh. Hey," she said awkwardly, feeling as if she caught Regina in the middle of something she shouldn't have. The woman's dark hair was a bit tangled, as if she had barely had enough time to throw the dress on. "Am I... Am I interrupting something?"

Regina glared at Emma, not understanding why the blonde-haired woman was on her doorstep without Regina's son. She tried not to hate Emma, after all she had saved Henry, but she was still a spawn of the two idiots, and Regina had trouble getting past that. Regina put her hand on her hip, eyeing the woman in front of her. She wore tall black boots over her jeans, big surprise there. Her eyes continued up to the woman's torso, as she caught a glimpse of Emma's red bra under her white tank top. Regina's eyebrow raised with curiosity, until she forced herself to look away. She was wearing that damn red jacket again. Regina rolled her eyes and couldn't help but return back to the sight of Emma's bra again. She quickly composed herself, making her features hard again as she hissed at the woman, "No. I was simply trying outfits on. What do you want?"

Emma cringed at the harsh tone of Regina's voice. This was going to take some convincing. "I uh. I was wondering," Emma awkwardly shifted from side to side, "Well I uh. I need your help," she said, looking down at her feet as she spoke.

She slowly looked up after there was a lack of response from the brunette. Her blueish green eyes locked onto Regina's brown eyes, as she spotted a change in the brunette woman. For some reason, Regina's eyes softened through her confusion. She slightly smiled as she responded "You need my help?" Emma shook her head yes, saying "Yeah, you know I mean I have my par... Mary Margaret and David, but I kind of want some other kind of help and I think you could be the person to help me. I mean if you don't want to I understand but I kind of think it would be dumb if you turned me away because you and I clearly work well together and I'm not really sure where I'm going with this but I want your help, I want you to teach me magic." Regina simply stood in front of the rambling woman, chuckling slightly as Emma became passive for one of the first times since they had met. She took her hand from her hip and grabbed Emma's. "Emma, shut up and come inside. We can talk." Emma stopped talking as her stomach jolted with the shock that flew through her body when Regina grabbed her hand. She looked up into her brown eyes, which had lightened from almost black to a beautiful light brown, almost amber. Something in Regina had changed right when Emma requested her help. Maybe she had been lonely all morning, trying on clothes that offered her no company. Maybe she was delirious from the lack of sleep and was acting weird. Whatever the reason, Regina softened to Emma much easier than Emma could have expected. She smiled as she pulled Emma into her house, closing the door behind the blonde woman. "Let's go, we have work to do," she said to Emma, walking her down the hallway, not letting go of Emma's hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"I don't like Regina mentoring our daughter. I mean for goodness sake, Snow, she's the Evil Queen," David stated, cleaning up the breakfast mess while Henry went to get ready for the day. Mary Margaret kept quiet as she rinsed the syrup off of the plate she was washing. "Don't you agree with me?" Mary Margaret turned around from the sink to face her husband. "Honestly, Charming, I don't know. I don't know what to think of it. If our daughter wants Regina's help, I think we should leave it that way. Just let her make her own decisions instead of forcing ours upon her," she said, trying to close the argument. But David wasn't ready to give up this fight. He didn't want his daughter getting into something that could possibly hurt her. "We can't just let her go willingly over to Regina to be her apprentice!" David had started yelling, causing Henry to peek around the corner and eavesdrop. "Regina is NOT a good person, Snow! After all the chances we have given her, she has proven this right!" Before Mary Margaret could respond, Henry had come into the kitchen. "She is my mom. Regardless of how you feel about her." Mary Margaret's stomach dropped at the pain she heard in Henry's voice. David knelt down to Henry's level. "You know what, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just get nervous." Henry smiled a bit, quickly lifting the pressure off of the situation. "It's alright Gramps, you just aren't used to being a parent. Emma wasn't either, and now she's a great mom. It just takes time," he said matter-of-factly, patting David on the shoulder and walking away. Mary Margaret laughed in the background. "He is much more mature than his age," she said, walking over to her husband. "Charming, just let Emma do what she is comfortable with. There is clearly something about Regina that Emma is drawn to."

* * *

"Look, Savior," Regina hissed "You came to me for help. Now follow my instructions!" Regina and Emma were in Regina's kitchen. She was attempting to teach Emma how to light a candle. "Had I known this would be damn difficult, I might have chosen a patient teacher," Emma retorted, glaring at the brunette standing next to her. Regina rolled her eyes. "You will get NOWHERE with patience. Now watch me!" Regina closed her eyes and right away the candle lit. Pleased with the ease of her performance, Regina strut towards the candle, licking her fingers and closing them around the flame, putting it out. "Now try again, _student_," Regina ordered, confidence lacing each word. "Think of power. Consume all the power you can, and light that damn candle!"

Emma had spent the entire morning frustrated with Regina. Whatever softness Regina displayed at the door had disappeared right when the lessons began. It was back to harsh tones and rolling eyes between the two women. "You know Regina, not all of us grew up in the Enchanted Forest with magic being fucking handed to us!" Right as Emma had finished yelling, the candle lit. Regina laughed, "Well look at that. The little Savior lit the candle." Emma's eyes grew large as she looked at the lit candle. "Fuck," she whispered. Regina turned to Emma, putting her hand on her shoulder. "It appears that the only thing helping you with your magic, or lack thereof, is your hatred for me," she said, laughing once again at how pitiful she thought Emma to be, "Hate away, darling. Time for the next lesson." Regina lifted her hand towards Emma, wrapping vines around the woman's legs, causing her to fall. Regina walked over to stand above her. "Oh this is going to be fun." Emma groaned, thinking about how much she was starting to regret this decision.

* * *

Emma met up with her parents and Henry for lunch at Granny's. Her white tank top was now dirty from being thrown to the ground by Regina over and over again. She moved slower than normally, and Mary Margaret could see the lack of color in her face, and the slowed blinking of her eyes. "Emma, sweetheart, you look absolutely drained. Are you sure this is a good idea?" She had already started trying to get the gray stains off of Emma's tank top. Emma lightly grabbed Mary Margaret's wrists and set them down. "I'm okay, really. It's just a lot to learn." Emma fell into the booth next to Henry and put her head on his shoulder, pretending to fall asleep, causing him to giggle. "I think it's really cool what you're doing, Mom. Both of my moms fighting together, that's awesome!" Emma couldn't help but laugh at the way Henry phrased "both of my moms." She got lost in her own thoughts for a second. What if Regina and Emma took care of Henry together? They had been doing it since she got into Storybrooke. Granted, not very well, but Emma assumed her castle in the Enchanted Forest would be big enough for them to have their space. They could have family meals and switch weekends. She wouldn't mind seeing more of Regina anyway. Regardless of how awful she seemed, she knew there was more to Regina than just the Evil Queen. She wanted to get to know this woman, which was at least 50% of Emma's motivation for going to these lessons, the other 50% being for Henry.

Emma didn't noticed how long she had daydreamed about Regina for until Mary Margaret grabbed her hand. "Emma, is everything alright?" Emma snapped back to reality, realizing Ruby was waiting to take her order. "Oh. Oh yeah, I'm okay. I just zoned out. I'll just have a cheeseburger, please," Emma said, blushing faintly. Ruby jotted down the last order and leaned in towards Emma. "Quite some daydream, Savior. You and I need a girl's night so you can tell me who he is," she whispered, laughing at Emma's reaction to what she said. Emma's face went red, almost crimson. What did Ruby mean by that? What face was she making while thinking about Regina? Emma began to feel a little lightheaded. Mary Margaret and David simply started blankly at her, as Henry started a story about what happened in his dream the night before. Mary Margaret snapped out of her stare and began entertaining Henry's dream story, but David held his stare, lifting his eyebrows, questioning his daughter. "It's nothing, David. I'm just tired." Emma hoped he would let it go, which he soon did, as Henry tapped his arm from across the table to tell him about his sword fighting adventures. Emma took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Fuck_.

* * *

Regina had enjoyed Emma's company much more than she realized. Once the blonde left for lunch with her family, Regina was alone again, something she was used to. This time, however, it was different. Regina longed for Emma to come back. She had started to enjoy her company, besides the fact that the savior of their land was ridiculously terrible at magic. Regina scoffed, replaying their lessons from the morning in her head. She walked into her kitchen, pouring a small glass of wine and taking out some chicken and green beans to make herself some lunch. No matter what slight hatred she felt for Emma, Regina looked forward to their lessons to come. After all, when would she get another chance to throw Emma to the ground without the Charmings coming to save her? Regina smiled as she put her glass of wine up to her lips. "I'm really going to enjoy this."

Regina put her apron on and began to cook. She decided to put on smooth jazz to relax herself while she cooked. She knew Emma would be coming back for another lesson, so a slower, gentler activity seemed ideal to Regina. She glided around her kitchen, adding a pinch of salt to her dish as it simmered in a pan on her stove. Regina turned around and grabbed her wine glass off of the island, sipping lightly. Her food was done shortly after, and Regina decided to change things up. She didn't feel like setting her table for one again, instead she plated her food and hopped up onto her counter, swinging her legs slightly to the music as she ate. It was a freeing change.

After Regina finished her meal, she decided she was still hungry. She took a block of cheese out of her fridge and grabbed some crackers from the cabinet. She laughed, glancing at the box of crackers clearly meant for Henry. "Alphabet crackers for my cheese and wine," she said, giggling to herself. Regina set her food out on the island and began her snack. She got caught up in the music and began to dance, swaying her hips while finishing off her glass of wine. One more won't hurt, right? Regina poured a second glass, this time a bit larger. Maybe this could calm her down.

* * *

Emma had enjoyed lunch with her family. It was nice having people that care for you around. But she felt like something was missing. She brushed off the idea, thinking it was the foster home upbringing creating this sense of loneliness within her. She left Henry with Mary Margaret and David at Granny's, opting out on the hot cocoa before getting into her bug and heading back to Regina's. She had told the brunette that she would be back right after lunch, and she didn't want to go back on her word.

Emma tried to clear her head on the way there, but for some reason she felt nervous, almost giddy. Her stomach was in knots and her hands would not stop sweating. She wiped them on her pants at every stop sign, yet they never dried. She wanted to know what Ruby saw on her face when she had daydreamed about Regina. Maybe that would help her figure out what she was feeling when she thought about this woman. She parked her car and walked up to the door, knocking but receiving no answer. She cracked the door slightly, and was surprised to hear slow, smooth jazz playing. "Regina?" She called out to her a few times before just walking into the house. She followed the noise into the kitchen to find Regina in an apron, slowly swaying her hips from side to side in front of a plate of cheese and crackers, with her back to the blonde woman. Emma chuckled, but was too intrigued by the sight before her to interrupt.

* * *

Regina didn't notice how much time had passed, and she suddenly came back to reality wondering if Emma would come back. She stuck her finger in her mouth, sucking a bit of cracker dust off of it as she turned around from the island in her kitchen. Her eyes engulfed the sight of Emma, slightly dirty and disheveled from their previous lessons, leaning against the doorway of Regina's kitchen with a look that Regina had never seen before. She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't help but stare at he sight in front of her. Emma was gorgeous; there was no doubt about it. Even after a morning of being tossed around with vines around her ankles, Emma still captured Regina's attention. Her figure was perfectly curved, and her stomach was flat. She hadn't brought back the red jacket, which left a full view of her red bra for Regina. The brunette closed her eyes, trying to focus. "Oh do you not knock anymore, Ms. Swan?" The words came out a little harsher than she intended, but she needed to distract herself with anger. The blonde laughed, saying "Oh I did. Three times. It seems someone was too busy swaying their hips and drinking wine to come get the door." Emma started walking into the kitchen, stopping just in front of Regina. The brunette froze, as the two women were face to face. They could both feel the odd tension between them, neither being able to identify exactly what it was. Emma reached across Regina's stomach and placed a hand on the woman's hip, moving her to the side and out of the way. Regina's body temperature shot up and her cheeks turned red at the contact. She turned her head away as Emma walked passed her. "Mayor Mills, do you mind if I join in on your snack?" Emma asked as she laughed at the sight of the crackers Regina was eating. "Alphabet crackers? I thought the mayor would be much more sophisticated with her wine and cheese," she teased, holding up the box. Regina snatched the box out of her hand "Yes well as you know, we have a son," she hissed setting the box out of Emma's reach. Emma smiled at the use of we instead of I, wondering if Regina had noticed her slip. "But yes, Savior, you may join me if you please," Regina said, softening her voice slightly. Emma laughed at the change in Regina. She was so confusing. "I would actually love that, Regina," she said, plopping a piece of cheese into her mouth. Regina's smiled softly at the blonde. "I suppose our lesson could wait," she said, returning the box of crackers next to Emma.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Regina certainly didn't mean to get drunk so early in the afternoon, nor did Emma, but the wine and cheese paired with smooth jazz was something so relaxing for both women: a comfort they often didn't feel. The two indulged themselves in two bottles of Regina's finest merlot, breaking down the walls between themselves ever so slowly. Neither understood why they enjoyed the other's company so much, yet neither questioned it.

"Do you really remember it if you were that young?" Regina took another sip of wine as she learned more about Emma's life. The blonde took a large gulp of her wine, hoping to take the edge off of revealing such a sensitive part of her life to Regina. Emma wasn't open about anything with anyone, but opening up to Regina felt right. She shrugged, saying "I mean yeah, I was three. But I finally had parents. Having that ripped away from you without understanding why kinda sticks." The silence grew tense. Regina felt sorry for Emma, but wasn't sure what to say. Emma shut her eyes tight, forcing back her tears. "I can't blame them though. Like, they finally got the chance to have a kid by their own blood, you know? That's amazing. I could never be that for them," Emma said. The quick tear that Emma had let fall didn't escape Regina's eye. The brunette moved closer to Emma and lightly grabbed her hand. "Emma, that is not your fault. You were three-years-old for goodness sake. They were selfish. They should have never adopted," Regina said, feeling a slight pain as she realized she was almost exactly the same as Emma's old foster parents when she went to give Henry away. Regina didn't let go of Emma's hand, trying to reassure Emma that she was worth something.

In fact, Emma was worth a lot more to Regina than anyone had been for a while. She had Henry, but she couldn't open up to her son about anything. Emma was the first person to actually show some interest in truly caring about Regina since Daniel. Images of him raced through her mind, and Regina couldn't help but tear up. She felt Emma tug on her hand, pulling the brunette into her chest and wrapping her arms around her. Emma didn't know why Regina was crying, they hadn't gotten to her story yet, but she knew pain when she saw it. She simply wanted to comfort the woman in front of her. Maybe it was the wine making her care more for someone who had been so awful earlier, maybe it was that damn Charming gene, but no matter what it was, Emma acted on it. She held Regina close and didn't say a word, causing the woman to cry harder. Regina quickly composed herself, realizing she revealed too much weakness. She slowly pushed away, facing the blonde. Emma had teared up a bit, and her cheeks were flushed from the wine. Regina simply stared at the woman in front of her. _Dear god she is beautiful_. Regina's stomach filled with butterflies, and she smiled slightly. Emma reached up and wiped away one of the brunette's tears, smiling back at her. Regina rested her head in Emma's hand, closing her eyes. Emma watched as complete peace overtook the woman's face. Her smile rested just a bit, and the vein in her forehead disappeared. Her lips weren't snarled, and her eyes weren't piercing. They were closed, resting. This was the most beautiful Emma had ever seen Regina. It was finally clear to Emma what was happening to her. She was developing some kind of connection to Regina, and this moment, Emma wasn't afraid.

Regina kept her eyes closed, letting this new feeling overtake her entire body. Her arms felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Her head no longer swarmed with anger and hurt. Her heart felt, warm? It beat lightly as she began to relax even more, almost falling asleep standing up, with her cheek in Emma's hand. She heard Emma giggle and she slowly lifted her head, opening her eyes. "I am going to go sleep off this wine before our next lesson," Regina said as she began to put away the cheese and crackers. Emma grabbed their wine glasses and set them in the sink. "Uh alright. Just uh... Call me when you're done," Emma said reluctantly, not wanting to leave, partly because she didn't want to leave Regina and partly because she didn't want to walk home because she certainly couldn't drive. "Oh. Miss Swan. You could certainly stay here," Regina said softly. Emma laughed at the addressing she used. "Why thank you, _Mayor Mills_. I'll just crash on your couch." "That works for me, but could you come upstairs for a second? I need help out of this dress," Regina said, blushing as she remembered she had gone all morning and afternoon in her date night dress. Before, Regina would have seen this as a waste of a perfectly good dress. But for some reason, Regina didn't mind that she had worn it to teach Emma. She actually quite enjoyed being adorned in her fancy dress as they snacked on wine and cheese later that afternoon. And besides, who doesn't love looking sexy while they throw someone to the ground with their extreme power? "Yeah of course, I'll meet you up there," Emma said, washing the two wine glasses she had set in the sink.

Regina went upstairs and pulled out a pair of her silk pajamas, laying them across her bed. She leaned too far forward and had to put her hands out to avoid a fall. The wine was _really _getting to her head. She went into the bathroom and pulled her hair into a small ponytail. She wiped off her makeup and filled up a glass of water. Emma walked into her bathroom behind her, looking at the brunette in the mirror in front of them. She looked different, almost innocent: younger. Regina looked up and smiled at Emma. "I know, I know, I look twelve without makeup on," she laughed. "No, no. I mean, you do look younger, but," Emma took a deep breath "Regina you are beautiful." Regina snapped her head up, her eyes going wide as she turned to face Emma. "I… what?" She couldn't believe what Emma had said. Was she really this drunk? Emma cleared her throat and repeated "I said, you're beautiful, Regina." She grabbed the woman's shoulders and rubbed them with her thumbs. "Now turn around so I can get this thing off of you," she said, gesturing towards Regina's dress. "Oh yes right, the dress," Regina said quickly as she turned around. "And it is not a _thing_ Emma. It is a designer dress," the brunette said, playfully. Emma slightly pushed Regina's shoulder, "Designer Schmigner, it needs to come off." She unhooked the top and slid the zipper down. In that moment, Emma realized how far the zipper actually went down, as her hand slowly slid past Regina's bra, down her spine, all the way to the bottom of her waist line. Emma stopped and stared at Regina's flawless back. _Fuck. _Regina noticed the prolonged silence, enjoying the admiration. She slid the dress down and stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom to put on her pajamas. She laughed as she saw Emma's eyes follow her body as the blonde walked out of Regina's room.

Emma stumbled into Regina's living room, falling onto the couch and almost immediately passing out. Regina came downstairs not long after, seeing Emma passed out. She couldn't help but laugh. "Light weight." She went and grabbed a blanket and a pillow from the hallway closet and set Emma up on the couch, the blonde sleeping through it all. Regina sauntered upstairs to her room, at got into bed. When she closed her eyes, she wasn't tortured by hate and pain. Instead, all Regina saw was Emma.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Regina awoke a few hours later, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She went into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush. Sure she was the Evil Queen, but that didn't save her from waking up with bedhead and morning breath. That was something she never quite understood about the media streaming into Storybrooke from America. Women on TV shows or in movies would wake up looking like they just got ready to go out on a date. It was bullshit in all honesty. Regina had enough power to send an entire world of people into a different land under a curse, yet she couldn't manage to wake up without the back of her head looking like a mess. She finished brushing her teeth, washed her toothbrush off and set in its holder, only filling one of the two spaces. She sighed at the sight. The brunette reapplied her makeup and went into her closet to change out of her silk pajamas. She decided on a black pencil skirt with a white dress shirt tucked in. She adorned the shirt with a gray blazer and went back into the bathroom to apply complimentary red lipstick.

Regina walked down the stairs, her heels clicking on the tile as she reached the bottom. She walked into the living room to see Emma still knocked out cold. "Seriously?" Regina swirled her right hand, wrapping Emma in a blue mist. The brunette then lifted her arm up quickly, jolting Emma into the air. The blonde was startled awake. "Seriously?! This isn't the best way to start a lesson," Emma said, anger lacing her words. Regina couldn't help but break out in laughter. The sudden change in the woman caused her magic to retreat, dropping Emma to the ground. The blonde landed with a thud and glared up at Regina. "REGNIA! Really?!" Regina was doubled-over laughing at this point. She just couldn't help herself. It had been a while since she had found something so funny, and she couldn't help that it happened at Emma's expense. Emma kept glaring at the woman above her, but she couldn't help but soften up. She hadn't ever seen Regina legitimately laugh. Sure, she had gotten an evil laugh from her, but that was completely different. Regina Mills, the Evil Queen, was doubled over, laughing so hard she was crying. Emma jumped up and grabbed the woman, throwing her onto the couch she was just ripped from. "Did you really have to drop me?! I know you could've gently lowered me," Emma said through laughter as she sat on top of Regina, pinning the woman's wrists down as she interrogated her. Regina's laughing died down a bit, but she was still giggling. "I'm so sorry Emma, I swear I didn't mean to," she said, holding back her laughter "my magic just disappeared. I'm not sure what happened." Emma looked down at the brunette, confused as to how the woman had lost her touch. Regina calmed down and looked up into Emma's eyes. The two went silent as they realized the position they were in. Emma cleared her throat and jumped off of Regina, smoothing her tank top and fixing her ponytail. "Uh sorry. I don't really know what lead me to tackling you," she said nervously. Regina stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "Oh no it's okay. Shall we begin our lessons again?" Right as Emma went to answer, Regina was in a purple swarm of clouds. When the purple haze dispersed, Regina was gone. "Regina, SERIOUSLY?! Ughhhh," Emma whined, trying to figure out where Regina had gone, coming to the realization that Regina clearly taught Henry how to be a giant trickster. "Take your time, Miss Swan," Regina called from her backyard. Emma huffed as she turned around to walk out the back doors.

* * *

The entire week of lessons went the same way, Regina throwing Emma around for the fun of it, and Emma learning the material as quickly as she could to fight Regina back. The playful banter continued, although it made no significant progress. Although Emma enjoyed spending time with Regina, she wanted the weekend to spend time with Henry, so she cancelled the lessons for the next two days.

Emma and Henry woke up early and got ready for the day. They were going out to the pier to watch the boats. Henry loved the ocean, it was a simple pleasure he had gotten being raised by Regina. She would drive to the pier on weekends with little Henry strapped in his car seat in the back. They would picnic on the beach, and Regina would just relax and watch the waves as Henry played around in the sand.

They sat on the pier, Henry swinging his legs and telling stories of his week with David and Mary Margaret. Apparently David had taught him how to sword fight and said he would be a knight soon enough. "I'm going to have a horse soon, Mom," Henry excitedly said. Emma nodded, giving the boy a smile. He stopped short and looked over at his mom. "Mom. How is my other mom?" Emma turned to Henry and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him into her. "Henry, Regina is just... wonderful," she said, not sure if she was talking to her son or herself. "That's good to hear. I miss her," he said, looking out at the waves. "Me too kid, me too." Henry sat up and looked at Emma. "Hey! Let's go to lunch with her, since you guys are friends and stuff now." Emma laughed at how young and innocent Henry looked when he made the suggestion. She took a deep breath and responded saying "Anything for you bud, I'll call her right now.

* * *

Regina had woken up and walked around her house, wondering why it was so empty. Her footsteps seemed to echo throughout the entire place. Everything seemed so, cold. Regina had never noticed before. She had always been too busy reveling in her victorious curse over all of the people she despised. But now things had changed. With the curse broken and Henry over with Emma, Regina was very, very lonely.

She was having trouble understanding why she liked having Emma around so much. Company hadn't been her strong suit since... Regina froze in her tracks at the realization. "Daniel," she whispered. She hadn't enjoyed someone's company since Daniel. It had been so long since Regina felt something romantic for someone that she hadn't even realized it was happening with Emma. She suddenly became lightheaded as she rushed up to her bed to lie down. Regina plopped on her bed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Regina awoke to the sound of he phone ringing. She shot up from her bed. How long had she been lying there for? She could have sworn it was just a few seconds. Her sense of time had been skewed from constantly thinking of Emma. _Shit. _Regina ran to her phone on her dresser and saw Emma's name. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Miss Swan."

Emma laughed on the other line. "Hello, Ms. Mayor. I'm down at the pier with Henry, and he wants to know if you would like to meet us for lunch," she said, faster than she had intended.

Regina could tell the woman was flustered, which eased her a bit. She smiled at the invitation. She missed her son quite a bit and was glad he was thinking of her. "That sounds lovely. I can be there in about ten minutes."

"Perfect! See ya then. Goodbye, _Miss Queen_," Emma said in her usual snarky tone.

Regina laughed. "Goodbye, Savior." She hung up the phone and ran to change into some black dress pants and a white v-neck. In the midst of changing, Regina recounted her realization of her feelings for Emma. Her stomach dropped as she grabbed onto the frame of her closet door. What on earth was she going to do? She couldn't play this off now. She threw on her shirt and stood in the mirror, but was startled by her reflection. What she saw was something she wasn't accustomed to. She didn't see piercing eyes or a stone cold expression. For the first time in quite a while, Regina didn't look in the mirror and see the Evil Queen. She saw herself in the stables, taking care of horses and talking to Daniel, laughing at all of his jokes, falling more and more in love with the man. Except this time, Daniel wasn't present. It was Emma. Regina took in her new reflection and took a deep breath. She grabbed her purse and walked out of her room, down to her car.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Regina parked in front of Granny's and slowly put her head down on her steering wheel. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath to try and calm herself. As she exhaled, the breath became choppy and she began to tear up. A few tears had dropped from her eyes before she managed to compose herself. She flipped down the mirror in her car and adjusted her makeup, wiping away her tears. She hadn't felt anything positive for anyone in so long. She felt weak. Her mom's voice echoed in her head: _Love is weakness, honey. _The thought of her now deceased mother forced Regina to fight back more tears. She didn't notice how long she was sitting in her car for, but her head jolted up to the sound of Emma knocking on her window. "Regina, are you okay? I saw you sitting out here, and well, I just came out to check on you." The sincerity in the blonde's voice caused Regina's heart to tighten. She had to take a few deep breaths before opening her driver door and getting out of the car. She turned and looked at Emma, her entire body softening as they made eye contact. She cleared her throat, "Yes, I was just thinking. I'll meet you inside," she said, hoping Emma would give her a little space. The blonde took the hint and nodded, "Yeah I'll see you inside." She smiled at Regina and walked away.

After a few minutes, Regina walked into Granny's. Leroy and his dwarf friends were all sitting at the bar seats. Regina rolled her eyes as she passed them. Leroy didn't miss his chance to return the hatred for the woman as he swiveled around to announce her entrance. "All hail, the Evil Queen!" The dwarfs all started laughing, causing Regina's eyes to go dark. Her upper lip quivered into a snarl as she lifted her hand to Leroy. A blue mist shot from her hands as she planned to trap Leroy in her magic, but the mist never reached him. Instead, a similar mist, just different in color, shot from the back left of the restaurant. Regina followed the green mist's trail to Emma's hand. "What the fu—" Regina started, catching herself as she realized she was in the company of her son. Regina couldn't help but smile. Emma had made some damn good progress. Leroy stood up on his seat and started clapping, and was of course joined by the other dwarfs. Leroy picked up his glass and made a toast, "To the Savior!" Everyone cheered for Emma and took a drink in her honor. The blonde rolled her eyes and waved Regina over.

Henry and Emma were sitting across from each other, leaving Regina with the choice of whom she could sit next to. She decided to sit next to Henry. Although she had missed Emma, she had missed Henry much, much more. Right as she sat down, Henry wrapped his arms around her. Emma watched Regina's face drop down into an unfamiliar happiness. The brunette's features calmed just as they had when Emma held her face in her hand earlier that week. Regina kissed Henry's head and hugged him back. "Hi honey," Regina said softly, "How are you? I miss you." Henry broke the embrace and looked up at Regina. "I miss you too, Mom. I have so many stories to tell you!" Regina laughed at Henry's excitement. "Well then let's order and you can fill me in."

The entire meal was spent with Henry excitedly talking about everything he had done, and Regina returning the excitement the boy displayed. Emma had just sat and watched the two interact. She had never really seen Regina be the mom she was that day. It was a nice change of pace. At the end of the meal Henry decided he wanted more time with Regina… and ice cream. Regina couldn't help but laugh at how cleverly Henry made his proposal to her. "Alright Henry, we can go get ice cream," she said, getting out of the booth. Emma had decided she wanted to give the two some alone time, so she hugged Henry goodbye and went to do the same for Regina. She walked up to the woman with her arms open. The look on Regina's face was priceless. Emma watched as the brunette went through waves of confusion, discomfort, and then eventually smiled and looked into Emma's eyes. She stepped forward into the blonde and wrapped her arms around her waist. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's shoulders, squeezing hard. She could feel Regina's entire body relax into hers, and she smiled. Out of nowhere, Emma felt Regina's lips on her neck. She could feel Regina's breath warming the spot where her lips were. The brunette softly pressed her lips into Emma's neck and pulled away slowly, leaving the spot tingling. Emma's face turned crimson red as Regina backed away and turned to walk out with Henry. Emma just stood in place, dumbfounded. Regina looked back as she walked out of Granny's and smiled. The two disappeared from sight as Emma whispered to herself "Fuuuuuuck."

* * *

Emma went back home to take a nap while Henry and Regina went out for the day. As she plopped down on her bed, she could swear she could still feel where Regina's lips had touched her neck. "That daring little bitch," Emma said to herself, laughing as she hugged her pillow like a teenager. She rolled her eyes at herself. What had become of her? She used to be such a hard-ass. No need for feelings or attachments.

But Regina was different. Regina understood Emma. She hadn't felt understood since Neal. Emma huffed at the name. Why did he have to come back? She was already over him, and she didn't want to have to deal with him again. She calmed down a bit at the realization that Henry had a father in his life now, slightly forgiving Neal for being a total douche before. So Henry had two moms and one dad, and Emma happened to be completely falling for his other mom: quite the interesting setup. Emma closed her eyes and imagined what the future would be like if she and Regina were together.

* * *

Regina and Henry had had quite the bonding session. Henry loved the attitude of his new mom. He hadn't seen this Regina for quite some time, and it was nice to have her back. He grabbed his mom's hand as they walked from her car to where Henry was staying. Henry went on and on about all of his adventures, and how much of a warrior he would be for his moms, and how they would all live in the same castle together. Regina enjoyed listening to him babble on. The excitement in his voice plastered a permanent smile on her face the entire time they were together. "Henry, this all sounds amazing. And I am so excited for you. But when we go back, I'm still the Evil Queen," Regina said, the last part stinging more than expected. Henry simply shrugged it off "You _were _the Evil Queen, Mom. You don't have to be that when you go back," he said matter-of-factly. Regina laughed at how mature this kid was. She really felt like Henry was the one thing she had gotten right in this world.

Regina and Henry opened the door to the apartment and walked in. Regina couldn't help but scoff at the cheesy couple picture of Charming and Snow sitting on the bar in the kitchen. "Hey Mom, I have to pee before you leave, hold on!" Henry left her in the kitchen as he went to the bathroom. Regina sat down on one of the barstools and looked over to see Emma passed out on her bed, cuddling her pillow. The blonde was snoring just like Henry does when he is in a deep sleep. Regina walked up to the woman and knelt down, reaching out to move a strand of hair out her face. Emma's eyes opened slowly, and she smiled at the sight in front of her. "Hey Regina," she said in a scratchy voice, clearing her throat. "Hey Emma," Regina said, as she smiled, keeping her hand on the woman's cheek. "Please don't throw me into the air and then drop me. I think I'm still bruised from last time," Emma said jokingly, as she poked Regina's shoulder. Regina snorted, trying to keep her laugh in, and failing miserably. She started chuckling as she remembered Emma's face when she dropped her. Emma threw her pillow at Regina and turned over. "You're such a jerk!" Regina laughed at Emma's outburst, and was about to retort, but Henry walked in. Regina stood up and walked over to Henry, hugging him goodbye. "Bye sweetheart, I'll see you soon," she said as she walked herself out the door. "Bye Mom, I love you," Henry called out after her. Regina smiled and said softly "I love you too honey, so much." Before she closed the door, she turned and yelled to Emma "And I will see you even sooner, Miss Swan!" Emma groaned and waved her hand for Regina to go away, resulting in a similar laugh from both Henry and Regina.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The weekend had come and gone and Regina's sleeping pattern hadn't gotten any better. She tossed and turned all night long every night, finally falling asleep for only a few minutes before waking again to toss and turn. The pattern was endless. Regina woke up at 3AM on Monday and decided she wasn't going to fight for more sleep. She got up and showered and got ready for the day. She knew Emma would be over for lessons, so she wanted to sharpen up her magic. She couldn't have the blonde showing her up again as she did in Granny's over the weekend. Although Regina was impressed by the act, she refused to allow it to happen again.

Regina ventured into Henry's room and almost immediately regretted doing so. It looked so cold, almost like a display room in a furniture magazine. Henry hadn't been there for a while, and Regina didn't have any need to be in his room. She sat down on his bed and smoothed out the pillow next to her. Regina's eyes started to tear up and she quickly composed herself, as usual. She decided against staying in the room and went downstairs to make coffee.

She started the pot and quickly shut her eyes. The brunette turned around to see that the candle behind her had lit, resulting in a smirk from the woman. She could still do that as easily as she pleased, now what else could she practice? Regina shot her right hand out towards one of her dining room chairs, wrapping it in a blue mist. She lifted her hand and the chair moved without any hesitation. Regina gently set the chair down and turned around to grab a cup of coffee. She reached up into her cabinet to grab out a cup and thought about grabbing two. Her mind flooded with images of Emma: looking at the blonde while she held the brunette's head in her hand, Emma's hands holding her wrists down, and lastly, the priceless look on her face when Regina had kissed the woman's neck. Regina became flustered and confused as to what was going on inside of her and she accidentally knocked a mug out of her cabinet. Automatically her hand shot out to break the mug's fall with magic, but nothing happened. The mug hit the ground and the handle broke off as Regina muttered, "Fuck." What had just happened? She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts, but Emma's face would not leave the woman's mind. She couldn't deal with this any longer, so she picked up her cellphone and dialed Emma's number.

* * *

Emma woke up to her phone ringing bright and early, and she groaned as she rolled over towards her side table to look at it. She blinked a few times trying to clear her vision. "Regina," she groaned as she put the phone up to her ear. "Is there a reason why you're waking me up right now?" Emma could hear a velvety laughter on the other line. How was she already sexy this early? "Well Miss Swan, although you showed exemplary skills at Granny's this weekend, I feel as if we… I mean you, could use some more practice," Regina said, slipping up a bit. Luckily, Emma wasn't paying much attention. She pulled her phone away from her face to look at the time. "Regina, it is 4:30 in the morning. Are you serious?" There was silence for a moment or so, making Emma severely uncomfortable. "Suit yourself, Emma," Regina retorted, and Emma hinted a slight tone of disappointment in the woman's voice. She went to apologize, but Regina had already hung up the phone. Immediately, Emma jumped up and threw on a t-shirt and some jeans and left to go to Regina's.

* * *

Regina was surprised to hear a knock at her door only fifteen minutes later. She opened to the door to see Emma standing in front of her, her blonde curls a little frizzy from being slept on. She eyed the woman from top to bottom. It was clear to Regina that Emma had just rolled out of bed, but there was still something about her. The way her jeans hugged her body all the way from her ankles, up her slim legs, and up to her hips had Regina entranced. Emma was wearing a tight fitting t-shirt that showed how perfectly curved the woman was. Emma watched Regina eye her from top to bottom, smirking in delight as she saw the brunette's eyes widen just a bit. "Ahem," Emma cleared her throat and Regina's eyes shot up to meet hers. "Hey uh, I'm here," she awkwardly said, putting one hand in her back pocket. Regina rolled her eyes. "I see that. Ready?" And once again, before Emma could respond, Regina had wrapped the blonde's hands in that damn blue mist and was pulling her inside the house. Emma went to complain, but the sultry look on Regina's face silenced her.

Once fully inside, Regina released Emma, and the blonde threw her right hand back, causing the door to close itself. Regina raised an eyebrow. "Impressive Miss Swan." She was glad the woman had come over. Having Emma in her presence made it easier to focus on her magic instead of trying to shut out a constant loop of images running through her mind. She walked towards the kitchen where she had left her coffee and Emma followed. Without a second thought, Regina pulled a second mug out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee, turning around and handing it to Emma. The blonde looked up and a smile broke across her face. Regina's cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat. "You look like you need coffee," she said sharply, hoping Emma wouldn't look too much into her gesture. The blonde rolled her eyes and accepted the coffee. "Just when I thought the Evil Queen had a soft side," she said, laughing at Regina's dirty look she shot in response.

Emma walked towards Regina and slowed as she got closer to the woman. She put her hand on Regina's hip as she passed, causing the brunette to inhale sharply. Emma smirked as she jumped to sit on Regina's counter. "So what's on the lesson plan today? Neck kissing?" Emma laughed as Regina turned around quickly to face her, the woman's hip brushing her knee. Regina didn't realize how close she had been to the woman on the counter until she turned around. Her breath hitched as she looked up into Emma's eyes. They were a gorgeous blue-green, and they seemed to sparkle all on their own. The brunette could feel her skin getting hot, and clearly Emma noticed the change in the woman. She set her coffee cup down on the counter next to her and reached out with her right hand to pull Regina closer by her hip. Regina stayed silent the entire time, simply stepping forward into the woman's touch. Emma widened her legs, allowing Regina to step between them. "Regina, do you want to talk about a few things?" Emma's hand hadn't left Regina's hip, and she could feel Regina's body temperature continuing to rise. Regina thought to stand on her toes and put her lips up to Emma's. She thought to grab the woman's neck and pull her down towards her, crashing their lips together. Regina stood there and thought of all of the different ways she could kiss Emma. It was all she wanted to do. But instead, Regina guided Emma's hand off of her hip and stepped back. "We don't need to talk, let's just work," she said, turning away from the blonde. Emma set her head down in her hand. This woman was impossible.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Emma sat in the passenger seat of Regina's Mercedes as they drove out to the forest. Regina had decided that a change of scenery might be good for their next lesson, and Emma happily agreed. Nature was part of Emma's element. She had frequently hiked as a teenager, and was always going for runs even today. Emma was convinced she would be able to outsmart Regina out here, even if this was her creation.

She looked over at the woman driving in awe. She had never seen Regina like this. Her short black hair was pulled back in a ponytail with bobby pins and an athletic headband holding back all of her layers. She had on a tight purple running jacket and a pair of black leggings. The Nike symbol on her shoes matched the color of her jacket. Emma rolled her eyes. Even the Evil Queen fell for labels. The blonde herself looked pretty much the same, as she had borrowed Regina's clothes for today's lesson. Her ponytail sat high on her head, and her jacket and Nike symbol were blue, as she had easily opted out of the pink Regina had tried to offer her earlier.

Regina parked her car on the side of the road and the two women got out. Emma flashed the brunette a smile as she ran away and claimed up a tree out of sight. Regina sighed and walked up to the tree she saw Emma climb up. She looked up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. There was no sight of Emma. Regina rolled her eyes and stomped her foot as she exclaimed, "You are just like Henry!" Emma had already climbed down the tree and was hiding behind another. She couldn't help but laugh at Regina's temper-tantrum, it was refreshing seeing the woman not so put together and frustrated. Regina's eyes went dark as a smile played at her lips. "You want to play, Savior? Let's play," she said, as she swirled her hands in a circle as a blue ball formed in the space between them. Right as she went to release her magic, she felt a force from behind. She looked down at her hips, which were now being wrapped by vines. "Oh you little bi—" she started, before Emma stopped her by jolting her backwards. Regina lost control of her magic and the blue ball disappeared back into her hands as she fell backwards into Emma. The blonde caught the woman in front of her, holding her tightly by the hips and letting her magic retreat. Regina took a sharp breath at the contact, and Emma laughed. "You said, let's play," she whispered into the brunette's ear, not letting go of the woman in her arms. Regina rolled her eyes but couldn't help the goose bumps forming. "You're lucky you're cute," she said, leaning her head back into Emma's shoulder. Emma smiled and looked down at Regina. Something about the way they were standing felt—perfect. She leaned her head down and kissed the top of Regina's head.

Regina jumped out of Emma's arms at the contact. She stood in front of the woman bewildered, her face getting redder by the second. Emma stuttered "Oh I.. I'm so—" but she didn't finish her sentence before Regina interrupted. "It's fine Emma don't worry. Let's just get back to work," she said rather quickly. Her own heart sank as she spoke. She didn't mean to distance herself from Emma, but she was afraid. Emma sighed. She wished she could get closer to the woman, but she didn't want every attempt ending with Regina jumping miles away from her and returning to their lessons as a distraction. She decided to let it go and smiled. "Sure, let's go, Prof.," she said, laughing as Regina rolled her eyes at the nickname. "You know, your eyes are going to get stuck in the back of your head if you keep doing that," Emma said, walking past Regina and farther into the forest. And once again, Regina rolled her eyes, except this time Emma's statement reiterated in her head. _Shit. Would she hear Emma every time she rolled her eyes now?_

* * *

Rumple had been in the woods right when Regina and Emma arrived. He decided to watch the two as Emma ran away from Regina and hid from the woman. It had been a long time since Rumple had seen Regina smile, truly smile, and he couldn't help but keep watching to see what played out between the two women.

He watched Emma display her magic quite well as she pulled Regina into her, not missing that Regina's magic had failed when Emma distracted her. It seemed out of character for Regina to make a mistake, especially when it came to magic. But then he watched Emma hold Regina, and suddenly it all made sense. He laughed to himself at the smile that was plastered on Regina's face. "Oh, dearie. Love is weakness," Rumple muttered to himself as he walked out of the forest. He turned around one last time to see Emma kiss Regina on the forehead as he laughed again. He walked out of the forest and back towards his car to drive home and retrieve something that he had been meaning to give Regina, he had just waited for the perfect time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"So Regina," Emma started "we have about a fifteen minute drive. Tell me about yourself." Regina scoffed and looked over at the woman. "It's only about ten minutes, and that is not enough time to explain someone as complicated as myself," she said, returning her attention to the road. Emma looked out her window and muttered "Psh you don't need to tell me." Her mind automatically flashed to Granny's and the kiss Regina had planted on her neck, and then Regina's reaction to Emma kissing her on the head. She could feel her face growing red and tried to hide it from the woman sitting next to her. Regina noticed Emma turning farther and farther away from her. Afraid she had hurt the other woman's feelings, Regina reached across and put her hand on Emma's leg. The blonde jumped at the contact. Regina smiled and looked into Emma's eyes for a second before looking back at the road. "What do you want to know?"

The women had spent the past ten minutes talking about Regina's upbringing in a different world. Emma was intrigued by every detail Regina offered. "So your mom would shut you up with magic?!" She asked, a little too eagerly. Regina simply clenched her jaw and said "Yes. She wasn't too friendly with her magic, I'm afraid." Regina parked her car in the driveway and unbuckled her seat belt. Emma felt bad sounding too excited, it was just so different to hear. She reached over to Regina with both arms and pulled the woman back while saying "No no I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you I'm just so interested in you." Regina relaxed in her seat and looked over at the blonde. "Really? Why?" Emma laughed at the woman's disbelief. "Regina, I don't know anything about you. Everything you tell me is absolutely fascinating." The last comment convinced Regina to stay in her car.

* * *

Neither had noticed how much time had passed. Emma and Regina sat in Regina's car and just talked and talked, filling each other in on what their lives has been and how they ended up where they were today. Emma explained her adventures as a foster kid, her adventures with Neal, and even her life after giving Henry up. "It was hard losing Neal. He was the only person I had ever loved. But giving up Henry was even harder," Emma admitted, looking away from Regina as she said it. Regina's eyes softened and she squeezed the blonde's hand. How long had they been holding hands for? Emma looked back at the woman and smiled. "But at least I ended up here with him and my parents," she said. Regina smiled, but Emma could tell it wasn't sincere. She cleared her throat and looked into Regina's eyes. "And at least I ended up here, with you," Emma said, her voice soft. Regina felt a shock run through her body at Emma's statement. Her eyes began to tear up just slightly. She hadn't known how much she wanted to hear what Emma just said until she actually said it. "Oh, Emma," she said just above a whisper. Emma looked down at Regina's lips as she slowly began to lean towards Regina, and the brunette followed her lead.

There was a knock on Regina's window, and the two women jumped apart. Regina looked out of her window and her piercing eyes landed sight on Mr. Gold. "Rumple," she hissed as she rolled down the window, "What you do you want?" The man simply laughed and shook his head. "Oh nothing, your highness. I just came to give you this," he said, extended his hand to the brunette. He held a scroll, and Regina knew exactly what it was. She inhaled deeply, trying not to kill him on the spot. "How did you get this and why are you giving it to me now?" Gold laughed again and locked Regina's eyes. "I kept it from you until I knew I could have my son back, and now, it's time for you to end this curse. So here," he said, putting the scroll into Regina's hand. Without another word, Rumple turned and walked away.

Regina turned to face Emma whose face had hardened. Her eyes Regina's face for an explanation. Regina didn't know how to respond. She didn't want to go back, not just yet. She knew what she would lose, and she didn't want to give that up. Emma narrowed her eyes as she said, "End the curse, Regina. Right now." Regina rolled her eyes at how demanding Emma was. Although the woman was very intuitive, she didn't know the half of it. Regina cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Emma, it's not that simple. First, you need to finish your lesson, then we can talk." And with that statement, Regina rushed out of her car and into her house. Emma chased her inside, unwilling to give up this fight.

"This entire town is _miserable _Regina. You need to end this, now. I know you can," Emma had just walked into the woman's house and she closed the door behind her. Regina was going to run upstairs and ignore the blonde, but she stopped. She didn't turn around, but she hissed out at Emma, "Oh hush. Your _charming _family is fine. They have their long lost daughter back. Just give it up." Emma threw her hands in the air. "Regina, SHUT UP," Emma yelled at the woman and instantly regretted it, but the fire burning inside of her was too much to control. She was tired of Regina doing what _she _thought was right. Regina turned around and walked forward until she stood right in front of the blonde. "Excuse me?! YOU DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP. I AM YOUR QUEEN," she exclaimed, raising a fireball in her right hand. "You want to fight Savior? Let's fight." She looked up into Emma's eyes that had gone a dark, dark blue, just as her own had turned black. She narrowed her darkened eyes at the woman in front of her and backed away, throwing the fireball at her. Emma's hand shot up and caught the fireball. Regina's eyes widened and Emma laughed, playing with the fire in her hand. She swirled her wrist and closed her hand, putting the fire out. Regina's stomach dropped. This fight was going to take some effort.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Emma shot her hand out at Regina and the woman was thrown up against the wall. The wall grew vines that completely encompassed the woman. Emma slowly walked up to Regina, looking up into her eyes. "Remember this one, your highness?" Emma's words were laced with venom. She laughed and turned away from the woman. Regina laughed right along with Emma as she shook her head. "Oh Savior," she started, "how could I forget? I trapped your _charming _father in the exact…same…WAY!" Regina broke through the vines and was chasing after Emma. The blonde turned around and shot her right hand out in front of her and Regina returned the same notion. Their mists collided with one another, neither making progress. Emma pushed with all the force in her body as she tried to overtake Regina, but the other woman was strong: very, very strong. Emma put up her left hand which added force, causing Regina to slide back slightly on her floor. Regina copied Emma and again the forces were evened out.

"Come on Emma! I know you can do better than this," Regina teased, taking a breath and pushing her arms forward, starting to overtake the blonde in front of her. Emma's arms shook as she tried to stay strong, but she was growing weak, she could feel Regina winning. She put her right leg back a bit to try and balance herself, but Regina had managed to gain enough power to walk forward. She got closer and closer to the blonde who was now sweating. Regina's arms shook harder and harder the closer she got to Emma, but she was winning. She flashed a devilish grin as she looked up into Emma's eyes. "Give up Savior. You've lost." Emma locked eyes with the woman in front of her and pushed forward as much as she could. Regina gave a little, but she still held her ground. Emma knew she wasn't going to win this fight, but something in her wouldn't let her give up.

The two women kept the fight going, not one breaking eye contact. Emma could feel a fire building inside of her. Her breath was hitching, allowing Regina to advance on her even farther. The blonde woman was perspiring at this point from the effort she was putting into this fight, and Regina watched as a bead of sweat trickled down from Emma's neck, over her collarbone, and down her shirt. Emma noticed the woman's distraction and took the opportunity to push more force through her arm, managing to take over some of the fight. Regina quickly realized her mistake and looked back into her opponent's eyes, once again gaining control on the woman. Both women knew they would have to stop soon before their magic took everything from them, yet neither wanted to. Normally Regina would have felt weaker by now, but something was different. She looked into Emma's piercing blue eyes and kept pushing on. Something was making her stronger, and she knew that something was Emma.

Although Emma was putting up a good fight, she knew she would have to give up soon. She had lasted longer than expected, but she could feel her body draining. With a look of defeat, Emma let her arms drop to her knees as she bent over to catch her breath. Regina automatically dropped her arms in response to her victory, taking a few deep breaths to regain composure. Both women were breathing heavily, yet both felt a rush of adrenaline. There was something about one woman that empowered the other, and it made each woman more powerful than they ever had been.

Regina kept taking in deep breaths trying to return to equilibrium. Within a few minutes she had slowed her breathing, almost recovering completely minus being covered in sweat. Emma was still doubled over, breathing heavily. Regina laughed at the woman in front of her. "You know Emma, had you just channeled more hate for me, you wouldn't have used as much energy." Emma stood up and walked right up to the brunette. Regina's breath hitched at the hungry look she saw in Emma's eyes. Emma simply glared into the other woman's eyes and said, "You and I both know I don't hate you." And with that statement, Emma pushed Regina up into the wall behind her by her shoulders and kissed her.

Their lips were crushed together with passion as Emma let her hands slide down to Regina's hips. She pulled the woman in closer to her. Regina moaned at the contact and wrapped her hands into Emma's hair. Her recovery was undone almost automatically and she was back to breathing heavily. She pushed Emma to the side and then back into the wall, taking the dominant position. She kissed the woman's neck, tasting her skin and her sweat. Emma gasped at the contact and started grinding her hips towards Regina.

The brunette let out a pleasant groan and smiled against the blonde's neck. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Savior" Regina asked jokingly. Emma laughed and looked up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes, but was soon caught off guard by Regina's hands sliding under her shirt. Regina wrapped her hand around up to the top of Emma's back and scratched all the way down. Emma inhaled sharply at the contact and glared into the woman's eyes. She grabbed Regina by the back of her neck and crashed their lips together again, biting her bottom lip and pulling away. Regina's eyes stayed closed as Emma pulled away, a smile forming across her face. Emma took delight at the sight in front of her. Regina opened her eyes slowly and looked into Emma's. "Bedroom," was all she said, and she turned around from the blonde, walking upstairs. Emma immediately followed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Emma got to the top of the stairs and came to a halt, panting for air after the intense kiss she had just shared with Regina. She looked at the woman standing in her own doorway, giving a teasing smile, and Emma couldn't help but smile back. Her soft spot for the woman had only continued to grow once their lessons started, and now she couldn't imagine a life without Regina.

She was lost in her thoughts until she heard Regina's door close and the lock latch. Thrown out of her pleasurable state of mind, Emma returned back to reality confused. Did Regina really just lock her out of the room? "Re... Wha..." Emma started to mumble, which was met with a stifled laughter from the other side of the door. The blonde walked up to the door and jiggled the handle. Locked. "Regina, you have got to be kidding me," Emma said as she stomped her right foot down and pouted. Regina was sitting on her bed, laughing at the blonde's distraught tone as she asked "Now Emma, you didn't think getting me would be that easy, did you?"

The brunette crossed her legs and placed her hands in her lap as Emma rested her forehead on the door in front of her. Regina sat patiently, however slightly worrying that she had upset the woman on the other side of the door. Suddenly, Emma's light bulb clicked on and she started to laugh, resulting with a grin from the brunette on the other side of the door. Regina knew Emma would figure it out.

Emma stepped away from the door just a bit and closed her eyes. "Regina, if this is blood magic, you freaking owe me," she said as she lifted her right hand towards the door. She opened her eyes after focusing for a few seconds and grasped the air in front of her, turning her hand to the right. She let out a sigh of relief as the door knob turned with her invisible grasp, and she stepped forward into the queen's room.

Regina jumped off of the bed and hugged Emma. She took the woman by the arms and pushed her back. "I'm so proud of you," she exclaimed, "And I'm evil, but I'm not that cruel. Besides, this benefits me as well. I wouldn't dare block you out with blood magic." Emma's smile was beaming. She adored the woman in front of her, and the sheer excitement Regina had for Emma's progress was the first time she felt proud in a long while. Regina looked into Emma's green eyes and then down to her smile. She swore, in that moment, she saw herself looking at the smile she wanted to see for the rest of her life.

Emma enjoyed the attention from Regina, but she felt her face start to turn red and she began getting nervous. What were they about to do? She had acted on sheer impulse downstairs, and she was startled at how positive Regina had responded. Was this about to happen? Her mind raced, and Regina noticed the change in the woman's face. She led Emma to the bed and sat her down while grabbing her hand.

"Emma, if you don't want..." she began, but Emma interrupted.

"Oh Regina, believe me, I WANT you, that's not the problem," she assured the brunette "It's just, are you sure about this? Do you want this" she asked, flailing a hand between the two of them as Regina laughed. She was touched by the care she could feel just from Emma's words. Yes, this woman truly cared for her. She wasn't here to use Regina for any reason. She was here because something had changed between the two. She was here for Regina, not for the Evil Queen. Emma was acting on free will, and the fact that she was still around meant more to Regina than Emma could ever imagine.

Regina took Emma's other hand in hers and looked the woman in the eyes. "Emma, you are the first person in a LONG time to keep coming back to me on your own free will. You actually listened to my story instead of just assuming the worst of me. For goodness sake, I cursed your parents to this goddamn town and you missed out on them, yet you're still here!" At this point Regina was tearing up, her knuckles turning white as she grabbed onto Emma's hands harder and harder. Emma gave a sheepish smile to the woman. It hurt to hear about her lack of a family, but at the same time, Emma understood Regina. She understood Regina more than anyone had before, and Regina understood Emma the exact same way. A single tear slid down the brunette's cheek as she stuttered out "So... Emma.. The r-real question is. Do YOU want this?"

The question broke Emma's heart. She could see the pain behind Regina's smile, and she wanted nothing more than to turn the woman's smile into one that spread to her eyes. One that wasn't there to just mask years of pain followed by years of hate. She took Regina's cheek in her hand.

"Regina, before Henry came to find me, my life was strictly business. I never wanted distractions, relations, anything. I wanted to find my criminal and get my money. But once Henry brought me to this town, I changed. Henry gave me a second chance. People can change, Regina, and that includes you. You may have been the Evil Queen before, but to me, you're Regina," Emma said, smiling at Regina as the woman's eyes fluttered closed in her hand yet again. There was the peaceful look she had seen in the kitchen. Emma loved that look. It made Regina look younger, happier.

She tucked her hand under the woman's chin and brought her face up, the brunette's eyes opening up and looking directly into hers. Emma cleared her throat. "And goddammit, I want Regina," she said as she got up to straddle the woman in front of her. Regina let out a laugh that was soon silenced when Emma's lips met hers.

Emma gently put her hand on Regina's shoulder, pushing the woman backwards onto the bed, continuing to straddle her at the waist. She dipped low and began kissing the woman's neck, and Regina let out a moan. She had to admit, Emma was damn good with her lips. She smiled and turned her head to the side, giving the woman easier access. Emma's lips traced from her jaw down to her collar bone, sending a shiver down Regina's spine. She smiled against the base of the woman's and came back up, hovering her face over the brunette's.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get to know," Emma started, interrupting herself with a kiss on Regina's forehead, "every" she started again, stopping as her hands wandered to the bottom of Regina's shirt, pulling it up and over her head, placing a kiss on the woman's shoulder, "part" a kiss on the bare chest "of" one on the stomach "Regina" then the hip bone "Mills," she ended, with a kiss on the area right above Regina's pant line, causing the woman to gasp. Emma laughed and looked up at Regina, her hands moving to the button on Regina's pants. She raised an eyebrow at the woman above her, making sure she had consent to continue. Regina rolled her eyes. Dear god this woman could get her going. Her skin was hot, and she could feel her core pulsing, sending signals all over her body. When she spoke, her voice was deeper than normal, almost raspy. "By all means, Savior, take all you need." And with that, Emma began unbuttoning the woman's pants while kissing lower and lower.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"I know these lessons mean a lot to her, but usually we hear from her throughout the day," Snow explains as she paces through her kitchen, Charming watching from his barstool. "I have called her six times. SIX! And she still hasn't answered," she says, throwing her arms in the air with frustration.

Charming wipes his hand down his face. "Snow, honey, you've called six times in the past hour," he says as nicely as possible. "She's probably just busy. You know how dedicated Emma gets." He's starting to regret letting Henry go out with the dwarves. Without him here for Snow to baby, she's replaced this need to be a mother onto Emma.

She stops pacing and slams her hands on the counter. Charming slowly looks up, afraid he's said something wrong, but is surprised when he is met with his wife's smile. "Let's go get her," she exclaims happily, jumping and scurrying to change. His brow furrows in confusion at his wife's excitement. "Go… get her," he questions, and Snow turns around, bubbly as ever.

"Chaaaaarming," she drawls, "remember 'I will always find you'? Now we can find our daughter! How exciting," she exclaims, clapping her hands together in front of her. Charming clears his throat. "Honey, she isn't lost..." he says, even more confused.

Snow laughs. "I know I know, but it's kinda like our own little adventure for our daughter. Come on, it'll be fun!" And with that statement, Charming knows he has no choice. He gets up from the barstool and his wife pulls him into their room to get ready for the day.

Emma continued to kiss Regina's pant line as she ever so slowly slid her pants off of her hips. As she slid her pants down her legs, she replaced the lack of clothing with her lips, kissing the entire way down. Regina shivered under Emma's contact, feeling electricity pulse through her veins.

The blonde returned from Regina's thighs and straddled the brunette once again, pulling her up with her hands tangled in her hair, kissing her with ultimate passion. She hooked her right hand around Regina's back, and used her left to unclasp the woman's bra. Regina felt Emma smirk against her mouth as she unclasped the bra with ease, pulling back to take it off completely. Regina laughed at the smug face Emma displayed. "I see you've had practice, Emma," she said, rolling her eyes as Emma laughed. Emma slowly led the woman back down to the bed, staying on top of her the entire time and leaning towards her ear to whisper "I'm a quick learner, you should know that."

Regina shivered at the hot breath on her ear that curled around her neck. Her body was on fire beneath the blonde woman. She wanted nothing more than to have that woman inside her as she writhed against her, but she wanted to take this slow, she wanted to see all of Emma.

The brunette reached up and grabbed the bottom of Emma's shirt, lifting slowly. The blonde granted permission as she lifted her torso and put her arms above her head. The shirt came off slowly as Regina admired the woman on top of her. Her abdomen was perfectly sculpted. Clearly this savior was physically capable of doing many things.

Regina tossed the woman's shirt to the side, and Emma put her hands on each side of the woman's shoulders. Regina looked over at the chiseled arms. She could see the woman's muscles tense as she felt Emma's face near hers. She looked up into emerald green eyes and smiled, Emma returned the gesture. They stayed there for a moment until Regina began to unbutton Emma's jeans, which the blonde quickly slid out of, hardly faltering her push up position over the blonde. Regina was impressed. Graham had been in shape, but dear god Emma took the cake here.

Emma started kissing Regina's neck, once again going lower and lower until she stopped, hooking her fingers into Regina's underwear, pulling them off with ease. The brunette's stomach dipped low at the exposure, and Emma bit her hip bone. She dragged her tongue inward, tracing the woman's invisible underwear line, causing the woman's hips to jolt.

Suddenly, Emma's phone began to ring, but the blonde completely ignored it. She went to Regina's other hip bone and traced the line again, ending right next to where Regina needed her. The phone rang again, and yet again Emma ignored it. She kissed from Regina's belly button down to right above her folds, and Regina thought she was about to implode.

The phone rang again. "Jesus CHRIST who is calling you?!" Regina couldn't help the outburst. Emma simply looked up and laughed. "Does it matter," she asked, continuing to kiss all around the woman's area of release.

"It could be your mo-hhhhoh GOD," her presumption was interrupted as Emma's tongue made direct contact with her clit, flicking ever so lightly, but sending the woman over the edge. She could feel her bundle of nerves throbbing, already missing the touch of Emma's tongue. Emma laughed. "I really don't care," she said, pushing her tongue deep inside Regina, resulting in a deep moan from the brunette. "Fuck. Neither do I," Regina said, breathlessly.

Emma took her tongue from the bottom of Regina's opening and slid it up her entirely, ending and sucking at the bundle of nerves at the top. Regina jerked under the contact, breathing heavily as she looked down to see a mess of blonde curls in between her legs. "Ufff," she muttered as Emma's lips sucked at her, drawing out her orgasm with care.

She could feel Emma smile at every sound she made, making her smile in return. This woman drove her mad, and she absolutely loved it. Emma let her tongue go deep inside the woman before returning back up to focus all of her attention on the clit. She licked furiously and occasionally switched to sucking as the brunette became more and more wet.

Emma slid her right hand down from the side of Regina and slowly slid two fingers inside of the woman, resulting in an escaped gasped of surprise. Regina moaned in pleasure as Emma pumped in and out of the woman, her fingers covered more and more each time. She could feel Regina tightening and extracting around her fingers, her body writhing in pleasure. "Oh god. Emma, EMMA," the woman exclaimed, her hips jolting up and down. She tangled her hand in Emma's hair and rode out her orgasm against the woman's tongue, the blonde never faulting in her technique.

Regina's hips stayed in the air a few seconds longer one last time before slowly falling onto the bed, and Emma knew she had her release. She wiped her face off on Regina's sheets and crawled up to lay beside the woman. She put her left arm out, offering her chest for Regina to curl into, and the woman did. She smiled against Emma's chest and looked up. Emma could see the exhaustion in her eyes and she smiled. "That good, huh?" She asked as more of a joke, but Regina simple hummed out a "mmmhmmm" before closing her eyes completely, her smile never leaving her face.

They were awoken by a strong knocking at Regina's front door. The two women jolted up, Emma grabbing the sheets and Regina her comforter. "Who the hell is that," Emma demanded, looking over at the brunette next to her. Regina's face was just as confused as Emma's. "I-I have no idea," she stuttered, fear creeping into her voice ever so slightly.

Emma noticed the woman's tone and pulled her into her chest. "Hey hey, it's okay. I'm sure it's no-" she started to reassure the woman in front of her until she was interrupted by the sound of the front door breaking open. The women's eyes shot open at the same time and they struggled to get up to find their clothes. "Maybe this is a perfect time for you to use your new skills," Regina said to Emma as she ran over to her clothes strewn around the room.

"EMMA," Charming yelled into the seemingly empty house. Snow walked in behind him. "Emma where are you," the woman said, sternly.

Upstairs, Regina turned from her crouched position by her pants on the floor to look up at Emma who couldn't find her shirt. "Your PARENTS," she hissed. Emma's face went red. "Oh dear god. Oh god oh god, my parents" Emma exclaimed in a harsh whisper. Regina rolled her eyes. "I swear your mother is my god sent cock block, in a figurative sense," she joked, and Emma walked over and pushed her over. Regina stifled a laugh at the sheer annoyance on the woman's face.

The blonde searched frantically for her shirt. "Why are they here," she hissed, finally finding her jeans. As she picked them up, her pone fell out of her pocket at lit up. Regina picked it up and held it towards Emma. "Eight missed calls missy. You're in trouble," she said, laughing silently at Emma's disgruntled face.

"Charming! I hear noise upstairs," Snow exclaimed as she started running up the stairs. Charming quickly followed behind his wife, his worry growing with hers. Emma turned around to Regina, her eyes wide. She whispered harshly, "Shit SHIT we aren't dressed. What do we do?!" Regina's face went red as she wrapped her comforter around her. There was no way either of them had time to put on their clothing. Emma quickly wrapped Regina's sheets around her and walked over to Regina to help her out of her crouching position. Right as Regina stood up next to Emma, the bedroom door flew open.

Snow and Charming's eyes took in the sight before them. Their daughter and the Evil Queen were wrapped in bedding, their hair disheveled and clothing strewn around the room. The four stood there, wide eyed at each other, the silence growing thicker and thicker. Emma offered a sheepish smile. "Heyyyyy, paaaarents," she said, trying to lighten the mood, but Snow and Charming were in a trance.

Snow cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Emma awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "So uh, welcome to parenting," Emma said jokingly. Regina stifled a laugh as Snow and Charming went completely red. Charming offered some release by asking, "So you and Regina?" Emma shook her head yes and grabbed the brunette's hand.

Charming grabbed his wife's hand and started to lead her out of the room. "Maybe we could do dinner tonight," he suggested as Snow stayed silent, wide eyed as he directed her away. Regina laughed. "Dinner sounds great," she said as the two excused themselves from the house. Charming and Snow left and Charming yelled up an apology for the door while closing it slowly, promising he would fix it at a later date.

Regina turned to Emma and the blonde began to laugh. "Did my parents really just walk in on us?!" And with that statement, Regina broke down in laughter too, pulling Emma back down to the bed with her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Next time, blood magic," Emma said as she walked out of Regina's bathroom wearing a towel around her body. She had just taken a shower to get ready for dinner with her parents tonight, and her long blonde hair dripped down her back. Regina tried not to laugh as she applied her mascara, but Snow and Charming's face kept running through her mind and she couldn't help herself.

"Dammit Emma," she exclaimed as her mascara brush hit right beneath her eyebrow, leaving a messy trace of mascara where it wasn't welcome. She turned around to the woman, about to lecture her on how hard it is to apply makeup, but all she could mutter was "oh." Emma's body was glimmering from leftover water from the shower. Her face was void of makeup, and her hair had a natural wave to it that perfectly framed her face.

Emma turned red under the attention Regina was giving her. It had been a while since she felt this way for someone, and the fact that Regina returned the feeling made her nervous and happy at the same time. She smiled at Regina, chuckling at the mascara mark above her eye. "Isn't there some kind of magic trick you can do to have your makeup done for you," she asked, walking into Regina's closet to borrow an outfit for the night.

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, I've already tried. Your makeup in this world is absolutely terrible, and for some reason does not mix well with the magic I used in the Enchanted Forest."

"So, like, Enchanted Forest makeup is different," Emma questioned from the closet. She was rifling through Regina's pants, but realized she was slightly taller than the woman, so she turned around and resorted to dresses. Regina scoffed, but couldn't help but smile at the sheer cluelessness Emma was so damn good at sporting. She walked into the closet and wrapped her arms around Emma from behind, slightly lifting her own body on her tip-toes so she could rest her head on Emma's shoulder. "Oh sweetheart, the makeup in my land makes me look like a completely different person," she said coyly, placing gentle kisses across Emma's shoulder and up her neck.

Emma shivered at the contact, continuing to look through dresses. "Well I cannot wait to see that," she said playfully, finally choosing a simple gray dress to wear. Regina's stomach dropped at the comment. "Yeah," was all she said as she let go of Emma and walked out of the closet. The blonde followed her out, sensing something was wrong.

"Hey hey, I'm sorry. You're plenty gorgeous here, I didn't mean anything by my comment," she said, trying to back track so Regina would return to her happier mood. Regina ignored her discouraged feeling and put a smile on for Emma. She didn't feel like explaining what was going on in her mind. Not tonight. "I know you didn't," she said quietly as she quickly turned away from the blonde to hide her tears. She felt Emma's arms wrap around her from behind, and suddenly everything was back to normal.

"You, my Evil Queen," Emma joked "are absolutely gorgeous in every single way." She placed a kiss on the back of the brunette's head, and Regina couldn't help but melt. She had always had a soft spot for Emma, even when all they did was bicker. But now her soft spot had completely taken over the woman, turning her to complete mush in Emma's arms. It was a feeling she completely adored.

Regina grabbed her phone off of the bed in front of them to check the time. "It's almost seven sweetheart, you should start getting ready if you want to be there on time," Regina said, turning around to face Emma. Immediately Emma dipped her head and kissed Regina, making her knees go weak. Emma's right arm tightened around the woman as she began to lean her towards the bed, her left arm taking place on the mattress to balance the two out. Regina's entire body started to heat up again, and her thoughts became incoherent. It was amazing what this woman did to her.

Emma crawled on top of Regina and continued to kiss her passionately as her towel fell off, completely exposing the blonde. Regina felt the damp cloth fall onto her feet, and her eyes flew open. She gasped at the sight in front of her. Emma was completely natural, bare in every element, and she was absolutely perfect.

"Why are you so surprised? You just saw this not too long ago," Emma said as she laughed at Regina's stunned face. Regina cleared her throat before talking. "I-I just," she stuttered, having trouble putting together a coherent thought "You're so beautiful, Emma," was all she could say. Her mind was racing with things she wanted to tell her. _You're perfect. I don't know what I did before you. It's been such a short time, but I can't lose you. I have to lose you. I can't. I can't._

Emma's voice came out scratchy, and Regina returned from her thoughts. "You're beautiful, Regina. I can't imagine my life without you now that you're in it," she said, somewhat sheepishly. Regina's lips curled upwards slightly at the shyness Emma displayed in front of her, something that had never happened before. This Emma was someone completely different. Regina's nightmares would no longer consist of this woman tying her to an apple tree in the middle of StoryBrooke. No. This woman was the source of the happiness in her dreams now.

Regina's hand searched for her phone. "Honey. Seven fifteen. We are supposed to be there in fifteen minutes and you haven't even started getting ready," she said, placing a kiss on Emma's chest and rolling out from underneath the woman above her. Emma rolled her eyes and flopped onto the bed. "Fiiiiiineuh," she let out dramatically as she dragged herself out of bed. Regina laughed. "Oh, I didn't know Henry was in here," she joked, and Emma simply nudged the brunette. "You know Regina, you're lucky you're so damn cute," she said as she went into the bathroom to towel dry her hair. Regina smirked at the woman. "I know."

* * *

"Come on Emma, it'll be fun," Regina said as she grabbed the blonde's hands. They were outside of Granny's and they could see Snow and Charming sitting in the second booth on the left. Emma was biting her lip in concentration, debating what she wanted to do. "Okay, fine," she said excitedly. "Yesssss," Regina said as she walked to stand next to Emma.

The entire way over here, they wanted to make some sort of magical entrance into the diner to show Emma's parents her improvement, but they didn't know exactly how to without going overboard. It was when they had finally arrived at the diner that Regina offered the idea of a simple door opening, her signature move in StoryBrooke.

Emma closed her eyes and began to think of what Regina had taught her. The brunette grabbed her hand, and instantly they both felt a surge of electricity flow between them at the contact. "What was that," Emma asked, turning her head towards Regina. Regina simply shrugged. "I have no idea," she said. "Oh well," Emma said, throwing her right hand up towards the door.

The door to Granny's flew open and the two women could hear gasps from inside. They laughed hysterically as they began their walk inside, as they were greeted with horrified looks from everyone, including Snow and Charming, who was now out of the booth and in a fighting position. Emma cleared her throat and announced "Sorry everyone, that was me. The Savior. I just wanted to make an entrance." A few people grunted while others rolled their eyes as they all returned to their drinks and meals, but Snow and Charming kept a keen eye on the two women.

Emma slid into the booth first, followed by Regina. The blonde felt as if she could cut the tension in the air with a knife. She took a deep breath: this was going to be a long dinner. "You ladies look lovely this evening," Charming said, breaking the awkward silence. Emma sighed in relief and offered a smile to him. "Thanks, Dad," she said, resulting in the instant attention of everyone else at the table. Emma hadn't noticed what she had just said until she looked up from picking under her thumb nail. Regina looked confused, Charming sharing the look, and Snow looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Did I… uh," Emma started, confused as to what was going on. Snow piped in happily, "Emma, you called him Dad," she said as a giant smile spread across her face. Emma thought back to what she had said. "Oh, yeah I guess I did," she said offering a laugh. At this point it just seemed right to do. She didn't know why. Maybe because she felt so complete with Regina now, that it just seemed right to accept a family. She never felt worthy of one up until StoryBrooke.

Regina grabbed Emma's hand underneath the table and squeezed. When she looked into Regina's eyes, she saw understanding. Almost as if the woman next to her had just read her mind. Emma was on cloud nine. The blonde turned to Snow, who still wore a giant smile, totally oblivious to the moment she and Regina had just shared. "Mom, you're embarrassing me in front of my girlfriend," Emma joked.

Charming choked on his drink, and Regina's hand became sweaty out of nowhere as her eyes widened, but Snow only heard "mom." She clapped her hands in delight. "OH MY GOSH EMMA," she exclaimed happily, tears forming in her eyes. Emma put her left hand on the top of the table, and Snow grabbed it right away.

In this moment, Emma was truly happy. She hadn't felt this complete, ever. The closest she had come to having a family was Henry, and even with him she still felt like something was missing. This is what was missing. A true family. Tears formed in her eyes as well, and she and Snow cried together.

Charming's face lit up in a smile, and he reached across the table to put his hand on Regina's shoulder. Regina's eyes broke from the blonde next to her as she responded to Charming's touch. She put up her normal front that she always had with the Charmings, shooting a glare towards the man in front of her, however once she saw his face, her features softened. Charming was offering her a small smile while grasping her shoulder.

He saw the change in the woman in front of him and smiled bigger, to which Regina returned with a smile of her own. He rubbed her arm as he pulled away and mouthed "thank you," and in that moment, Regina's smile reached her eyes, as she felt like she truly had a family for the first time in her life. Charming nodded his head at the woman in front of her and picked up his menu. "Shall we order," he proposed to the table, to which they all picked up their own menus.

Emma put her menu up in front of her face and leaned over and kissed Regina behind it, which her parents would have caught had they not just done the same thing.


End file.
